Yellow Line Metro project belongs to people, not to any political party or govt. alone: DKS

Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Tuesday emphasised that the Bengaluru Metro project is a collaborative effort between the Union and State governments, and asked the Opposition to not make it a subject of “credit politics.”

His comments came after he conducted an inspection of the Yellow Line Metro ahead of its inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, scheduled for August 10.

Speaking to reporters after his inspection of the 19.15-km Yellow Line corridor, Mr. Shivakumar stressed that the project belongs to the people of the city, not to any political party or government alone.

“The Metro project is not solely a Union government initiative. It is a joint partnership between the State and Union governments. The focus here is on serving the people, not credit politics,” he said.

Small, simple function for inauguration

Responding to questions about who initiated the Metro’s inauguration, Mr. Shivakumar clarified, “The Chief Minister and I had requested the Prime Minister to inaugurate it. He has now given time. This is not just a Union government project, both governments have a 50:50 partnership. If they have a chairman on their side, we have a managing director on ours. No one has exclusive authority here.”

The Yellow Line, connecting R.V. Road to Bommasandra, has been constructed at a cost of ₹7,610 crore and features 16 stations. “A small, simple function will be held at the IIMB auditorium that day. The Prime Minister, Chief Minister, and MLAs will travel by Metro during the event,” Mr. Shivakumar said. He added that the State will also submit a request to the Prime Minister for additional funds required for land acquisition for the proposed double-decker flyover project.

Taking a dig at BJP MPs, the Deputy Chief Minister said, “If the MPs who are now creating a ruckus help get some funds sanctioned, it would be great for Bengaluru. Not a single one of them is talking about funding. They only point out faults.” He said the State is planning to integrate double-decker flyovers wherever Metro lines are built, and that both BBMP and BMRCL will work jointly on land acquisition and compensation.

Slams Tejasvi Surya 

He also took a swipe at MP for Bengaluru South Tejasvi Surya, who had been protesting against the State government to open the Yellow Line at the earliest, saying, “He is a young man in a hurry, but he lacks experience. These projects cannot be rushed,” he said.

Mr. Shivakumar informed that three trains have already arrived for the Yellow Line, with the fourth expected in August. “It takes about a week to begin operations after a train arrives. Initially, three trains will run at 25-minute intervals. As more trains arrive, frequency will increase to 20 minutes and eventually to 10 minutes.”

To address parking concerns, Mr. Shivakumar said the Metro authority has been directed to acquire an additional three to four acres near each station. “They can build commercial spaces above and parking below,” he added.